Dan Ryker's Blog

Since I finished this book last week, I’ve been telling everyone about it, and applying it to everything. It’s called “The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill In Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Anything” by Daniel Coyle. It basically looks at really talented people from all different segments of society and asks why they are awesome. It can’t be just because they are naturally gifted, because you find ‘talent hotbeds’ where an inordinate number of highly talented people emerge. So it digs deeper and studies the common factors among all these ‘talent hotbeds’ and lays these discoveries out it in revelatory fashion.

As a musician, who wishes he could be a lot better, this book is inspiring and enlightening. As a music educator, it is full of golden nuggets and perspective. As a parent, desiring to help my kids become awesome at whatever they set their minds to, it’s hugely valuable. And I even got some fantastic revelation about God from it today as I was praying with a friend.

I highly recommend this book to pretty much anyone. But especially if you are a musician, athlete, or parent. … or if you want to become ‘highly talented’ in some way.

In celebration of Christmas I thought I’d share this prayer & spontaneous song. I’ve called it ‘The Grinch Song / Prayer’. We were praying for people in the intellectual community who do not have faith in Jesus Christ. I saw a picture in my mind of the Grinch as played by Jim Carrey in the movie ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’. I envisioned him up on top of the mountain with the sleigh stacked high with the toys he had stolen from all the children down in Whoville. But then his heart that had been shrunk began to beat. He exclaimed, “I’m FEELING!”. And that is what I was sensing some of the people in the intellectual community need as well. They need to FEEL. They need to feel the love of God. They need their hearts to begin to grow, and their ability to feel to over take their ability to think. They don’t need their brains to shrink, they just need their hearts to grow. And for faith to spring up out of a revelation that Christ loves them. “We love, because He first loved us.”, and, “”God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (1 John 4:19 & Rom 5:8).

So … Merry Christmas! And may everyone come to know Christ… even the Grinch. ☺

(Remember, this was totally spontaneous in an improvisational setting.)

‘The Grinch Song / Prayer (spontaneous)’
You can download and listen to all Dan’s music here

Here’s a couple of songs that popped out spontaneously during some recent worship times.

I’m not sure I’ve ever used the word ‘tantalize’ before in a song, but it does seem appropriate when you’re talking about God’s Love and being in His presence. You get tastes of Him and have brushes with His presence and it makes you even more aware of what it will be like to be in Heaven, and makes you want to be as close as you can be to Him here on earth. … It tantalizes you.

(Remember, this was totally spontaneous in an improvisational setting.)

‘Tantalize Me (spontaneous)’

You can download and listen to all Dan’s music here

Here’s a quirky little thing where I actually beat box a little during worship. … Let’s say ‘Yeah’ to God. … Enjoy.

(Remember, this was totally spontaneous in an improvisational setting.)

‘Say Yeah (spontaneous)’

You can download and listen to all Dan’s music here

I love the presence of the Holy Spirit. I love being able to live life with God and I’m so thankful that God has poured out His Spirit on all people (Joel 2:28). Even though He’s given me free access to His Spirit through the work of Christ, I have to choose to walk in Him. I have to choose to seek Him out. If I don’t pursue God’s presence, then the natural effects of my flesh will separate me from Him. And living life in my own zone is pointless. I relate to Moses when he told God that If he doesn’t have His Presence, then he’s not going anywhere. Here’s that text from the bible…

Exodus 33:15-23 – Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. (16) How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (17) And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” (18) Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (19) And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (20) But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (21) Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. (22) When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. (23) Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” (emphasis added)

In season after season, I find myself coming back to this passage as I realize again that I NEED God’s presence to go on. This is my thought again lately. Life is just pointless and shallow if it’s not being lived from within His presence and being directed by His Spirit.

I love verse 16 where it says, “What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”. Unfortunately, as I look around at the cross-section that I’m able to see of the church, I wonder how much of a difference there is between us and ‘all the other people on the face of the earth’. And this verse points out that if we are not seeing a difference between God’s people and the rest of the world, then it’s because His presence is not with us. My passion is to see the people of God walking in the presence of God.

God was pleased to grant Moses’ request and show him His glory because He was pleased with Moses and knew His name. We have been adopted as God’s children (Eph 1:5-6) and He knows us. And through Christ He is pleased with us (Eph 3:12). So, we should expect that God desires to give us His Glory as well. Do we want it? Remember .. His Spirit has now been poured out on all people, but we have to choose to enjoy Him.

The song ‘Give Me Your Glory’ was inspired by this passage and these types of thoughts. I recently sang it again in a live acoustic setting and so I thought I’d share it with you.

‘Give Me Your Glory (live)’

You can download and listen to all Dan’s songs here

Here’s the studio version for comparison.

‘Give Me Your Glory (studio)’

You can download and listen to all Dan’s songs here

For those of you who have my worship album, you’ve heard the studio version of ‘Precious is the Lamb’. Today I thought I’d share a recording that captures the type of environment that the song was birthed in. It was written spontaneously, in a home fellowship. The song is probably the simplest song on ‘Imminent Presence’ and this acoustic instrumentation just seems to suit it well. Or maybe I just like it because it’s easy for me to feel the roots of the song this way. Hopefully you’ll enjoy hearing a representation of this song like it might have sounded the first time it was sung. And even though I’ve sung it a bunch of times now, you’ll still hear a spontaneous section in this recording.

‘Precious is the Lamb (live)’

You can download and listen to all Dan’s songs here

And just for fun … here’s the studio version for comparison.

‘Precious is the Lamb (studio)’

You can download and listen to all Dan’s songs here